According to a report this morning from Bloomberg, Tag Heuer has settled on a price tag for its upcoming Android Wear-powered Apple Watch competitor. The device is expected to ship for around $1,400, and will launch sometime this fall, specifically “October or November.”
The watch—in partnership with Google and Intel—was first announced in March, and Reuters reported at the time that it “will be a digital replica of the original Tag Heuer black Carrera, known for its bulky, sporty allure, and will look like the original.”
Beyond its physical appearance, today’s report suggests that the watch will far outperform Apple’s offering (and other Android Wear devices) in battery life, lasting as long as 40 hours on a single charge:
TAG Heuer’s smartwatch battery will last about 40 hours, said Jean-Claude Biver, who heads the watchmaking activities of the brand’s owner, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. The Apple Watch battery was designed to last 18 hours, though that can stretch out further if fewer functions are used.
It makes sense that Tag Heuer will be able to fit a larger battery into this watch, considering the “bulky, sporty allure” that it’s said to sport. Basically, the watch is expected to look a lot like the black Carrera you see below, but with Android Wear on its face rather than being a standard analog watch…
Our thoughts: It’s definitely going to be a luxury watch, but I hope that Android Wear becomes much more powerful before this device launches. Also, it concerns me that Android devices (phones) have typically not been associated with status. Despite the fact that this is a major Swiss watch brand that Google is teaming up with, I worry that those looking for a luxury smartwatch would rather go with one of Apple’s solid gold offerings.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments